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Contractor withdraws application for permit

The contractor whose plan to build a warehouse in a rural residential neighborhood in Kenai has changed his mind.

Clark M. Guffy, of the construction company that bears his name, withdrew his application for a conditional-use permit Tuesday.

The permit application, which is needed to build in the neighborhood, was due to come before the city of Kenai Planning and Zoning Commission tonight.

"It has come to our attention that there is extreme public concern regarding this application," Guffy and his general manager Johnny Janik wrote in their letter withdrawing their application. "With the current intensity of public concern, as exaggerated as it may be, we wish to withdraw our application for the conditional-use permit. In an effort to foster better public relations, we will abandon our plans to initiate any type of commercial activity on this property."

Janik and Guffy reiterated they had no plans to do any construction on the site other than putting up their building, nor did they plan to store or maintain any heavy equipment on the site.

"We do not now, nor do we plan in the future, to possess any type of heavy equipment which would result in extensive noise, smoke, fumes or petroleum-related leaks," they wrote.

Joe Frank, the only immediate neighbor of the proposed project on the Kenai Spur Highway between Lupine Drive and Ross Street, expressed pleasure upon hearing of Guffy's decision.

"That's great," he said. "But I'm going to go ahead and stick with what I've got and go to the meeting anyway."

Frank said he would to try to contact Guffy to see what his plans are for the lot.

However, Guffy and Janik were disappointed Frank didn't talk to them sooner.

"Our only regret at this point is that those persons so concerned did not contact us directly to allow us to address their concerns," the pair wrote.

Guffy's plan was to build a single-story office, attached to a double-height warehouse, which combined measure 30-feet by 72-feet.

The site plan included a storage yard behind the buildings, and a roughly 100-foot buffer of existing vegetation between there and Frank's lot, where a stream runs to the Kenai River. The warehouse was to store weather-sensitive building material.